On the red carpet for his new Netflix film East of Eden, Academy Award nominee Ciarán Hinds spoke with Gold Derby about his mysterious role in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of The Magician’s Nephew.
Hinds explained that he plays a narrator and will only appear briefly in the film, saying audiences “may see me once or twice, but otherwise it’s vocal.”
“I can only tell you that because I play the role of a narrator and I’m not very featured in it … [you] may see me once or twice, but otherwise it’s vocal. It was just myself, the crew, and Greta Gerwig working together for one day is what I did.”
Hinds also spoke warmly about working on Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, describing his single day on set as an enjoyable experience.
It was a wonderful day just to work with her and the crew and the brilliant photographer, Seamus McGarvey, who’s from the same part of the world as I am, but he’s rather brilliant”
When Hinds was first announced as part of the cast in May 2026, we noted the possibility that the Belfast-born actor could be playing an adult Professor Digory, with David McKenna portraying the character as a child. McKenna is also a Belfast native, as was C.S. Lewis.
Netflix has not officially confirmed Hinds’ character at this time. Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew releases worldwide in 134 days (February 12).
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